The boy that fifteen-year-old me had fallen in love with.With trembling hands, I unfolded one of the letters, the paper soft and worn from years of reading and rereading.“Dear Hannah,” it began. “My mom passed this morning. I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me this summer. Taking me to
HannahI stared at Noah, unsure of what to say. I had assumed that he wouldn’t show up today, since I had taken care to schedule our meetings during his work hours, but it seemed I was mistaken. And now he wanted me to come up with something to do.“We could go out to eat,” he suggested, counting of
I gasped, grabbing a pillow and chucking it straight at him. “Noah!” The pillow hit him square in the face, and for a moment, I saw a flash of the boy I used to know—an uncharacteristic smirk, a huff of laughter, and reddened cheeksDammit; I had to bite back the urge to laugh, too. I was supposed t
HannahThe next day, I woke up feeling groggy and irritable. Sunlight streamed through the curtains, but it did little to improve my mood.I didn’t expect Noah to show up again. Yesterday was probably just a one-time thing, a way to placate me or ease his guilt. And so, after showering and having br
He raised an eyebrow. “Why not? I want our child to have the best of everything.”“But—”“No buts, Hannah. This is for our baby.”Feeling vindictive, I decided to test him. I pointed to a ridiculously expensive, crystal-encrusted mobile. “Okay. I want that, then,” I said, certain he would refuse.“O
Hannah & NoahHannah’s POVThe next few days passed in a blur of awkward silences and forced interactions. Noah showed up every day, like clockwork, for our two-hour ‘bonding’ sessions, seemingly unfazed about missing work.I couldn’t decide if I liked it or hated it. On one hand, it was nice to hav
“What? When were you going to tell me this?”Viona had the decency to look ashamed. “Look, I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner. But Hannah, you should have seen him. He was so worried about you, about the baby.”For a moment, it felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. I had an i
HannahI found myself standing outside Noah’s office door. The sun had begun its nightly descent, the shadows in the hall lengthening. I hadn’t seen Noah all day; he had abruptly canceled our daily bonding time that morning, and I wondered if my locking the bedroom door last night when I heard him s